As we began the book of 2 Samuel yesterday we found David receiving the sad news that the Philistines had routed the army of Israel and killed King Saul along with three of his sons. David and his men tore their clothes, wept, and fasted until evening. Now David composes a hymn in memory of the king, who once was a father figure and mentor to him, and in memory of his best friend Jonathan.
"David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the book of Jashar):" (2 Samuel 1:17-18) The book of Jashar is only mentioned here and in Joshua 10:13. Almost nothing is known about this book. Some scholars suggest it was a book of Hebrew poetry but it has been lost to time and we cannot really speculate on the book's theme with any certainty.
We could easily understand a songwriter like David using music to comfort himself over the loss of his friend. It's harder to understand him feeling mournful about the death of Saul. But he models godly behavior for us by feeling sad over Saul's death. Saul was a man who strayed from the Lord and whose life consequently went off the rails. This is a sad thing---for Saul or for anyone---and we should feel mournful in such circumstances. Even though Saul made himself David's mortal enemy, David was deeply grieved to see the man overtaken by madness. It broke David's heart that the last two decades of the king's life were completely ruled by paranoia, jealousy, and anger. It didn't have to be that way and David prefers not to remember Saul that way. In his song he thinks back to an earlier time in Saul's life when he was still strong in mind and body. He extolls the good qualities of Saul, such as his talent for smart military strategy and his bravery in battle, and he makes no mention of Saul's mistakes.
"A gazelle lays slain on your heights, Israel. How the mighty have fallen! Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice. Mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, may no showers fall on your terraced fields. For there the shield of the mighty was despised, the shield of Saul---no longer rubbed with oil." (2 Samuel 1:19-21) David is loathe to think of songs being sung on the streets of the Philistine cities, songs that proclaim victory over Israel's fallen king. He says something like, "Oh, that this news would not be shared! Then the heathen women could not dance in the streets, singing of the bravery of their men and making up scornful lyrics about Israel's deceased king. Saul was a mighty man of valor on the battlefield. He never ran from a fight, though at times his heart shook with fear. He was courageous in spite of his fear. Oh, that our enemies would keep silent about our fallen king and about our defeat in battle! If only the location where our king was slain would cease to exist or ever be thought about again!"
David knows the enemy will sing songs of their own bravery and songs that make fun of Israel's king and his firstborn son. So he will do the opposite. He will sing of how fierce Saul and Jonathan were in every battle they ever fought. These men were no weaklings. These men were no cowards. In David's opinion, they were two of the bravest men who ever lived. "From the blood of the slain, from the flesh of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied. Saul and Jonathan---in life they were loved and admired, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions." (2 Samuel 1:22-23)
In addition to encouraging everyone to remember what a great military leader Saul was, David reminds the women of Israel that Saul's economic policies ushered in a time of greater prosperity for the nation, making luxuries more accessible to everyone. "Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with accessories of gold." (2 Samuel 1:24)
Eulogies typically do not contain negative comments about the deceased person and David's eulogy for Saul is no exception to that rule. It might have been difficult for him to ignore Saul's bad qualities and speak only of the good things he did for the nation, but thankfully there were some good things he did for the nation. David doesn't have to struggle to come up with anything nice at all to say about Saul. And he definitely doesn't have any problem coming up with nice things to say about the man who was the best friend he ever had or ever will have. "How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights. I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me." (2 Samuel 1:25-26a)
David and Jonathan were kindred spirits of the soul---men who shared the same deep faith in the Lord and the same love for the Lord. They were brothers at heart, though not brothers by blood. Have you ever had a friend you felt much closer to than your own siblings? Have you ever had a friend you had more in common with than with the people of your own household? That's the kind of relationship David and Jonathan had. They had more in common with each other than with their biological brothers. You'll recall that at one time David's brothers didn't display much respect for him or much interest in him. Jonathan's brothers, who were all younger than him, probably envied his position as second-in-command to their father and heir-apparent to the throne. It's possible they didn't seek a close relationship with Jonathan and they may even have disliked him or wanted him out of the way so one of them could be king someday. Just as in the New Testament we find the disciples of the Lord Jesus being better friends to Him than His own brothers, we find Jonathan in the Old Testament being a better friend to David than his own brothers.
Keeping in mind that the love between David and Jonathan was a brotherly love, I will point out that some critics of the Bible have used the next verse to suggest that the relationship between David and Jonathan was not of a platonic nature. Nothing could be further from the truth! There is not even the merest hint of such a thing. David and Jonathan were both married men (at this point David has an ex-wife, two current wives, and will take more wives) and both of them fathered children. There is no reason whatsoever to assume either of them ever had any interest in a physical or romantic relationship with the same sex. We're going to look at this verse and then I'm going to tell you what I believe David is saying with it. "Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women." (2 Samuel 1:26b) There is a modern slang term that means the same thing but I won't quote the term here because it's quite crude. But essentially it says that a man should value his relationship with his best friend so much that he won't neglect spending time with his friend in favor of spending time chasing women. In other words, the loyalty of a best friend can be far more trustworthy and long lasting than the loyalty of a romantic partner. That's what David is saying about the loyalty of Jonathan: he knew he could count on it more than he could count on the women in his life. After all, his first wife Michal who used to be madly in love with him is now the wife of another man. We'll see later on that she despises David more than she ever cared about him. David knows from experience that romantic love can be fleeting and fickle. But Jonathan's friendship was rock solid. If Jonathan had lived to be an old man he would have been David's best friend for all the decades to come. David has no doubt about that.
He concludes the hymn by mournfully saying, "How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!" (2 Samuel 1:27) It is believed by a number of scholars that the expression "the weapons of war" is being used in reference to Saul and Jonathan themselves, not to swords or arrows. These two strong men, these two courageous soldiers, these two powerful fighters have perished. And it is good and right that the nation should mourn them.
Something we can all take away from today's study is a renewed appreciation for those people in our lives we know we can always count on. We are living in an era when a prevailing attitude seems to be, "It's every man for himself," or, "You've got to always look out for number one." Thank the Lord that there are still people who look out for others! Thank the Lord that there are still honest, trustworthy, loyal people on the earth!
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